This invention relates to novel pharmaceutical compositions containing an effective, tumor cell growth-inhibiting amount of a di-gold phosphine compound, and a method for treating tumor cells sensitive to a di-gold phosphine compound by administering tumor cell growth-inhibiting amounts of such a di-gold phosphine compound to a host animal afflicted by such tumor cells.
Sadler et al., J. Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans, 969-974 (1984), propose the synthesis of dichlorobis[1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane]digold(I), but were unable to isolate the compound. Schmidbaur et al., Chem. Ber, 110, 2751-2557 (1977), disclose dichlorobis[1,2 -bis(diphenylphosphino)methane]digold(I). Stringer et al., abstract from the 15th Middle Atlantic Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Jan. 7-9, 1981, Washington, D.C., disclose the synthesis of dichlorobis[1,2-bis (diphenylphosphino)ethane]digold(I), dichlorobis[1,2-bis(diethylphosphino)ethane]digold(I), and diperchlorobis [1,2-bis(diethylphosphino)ethane]digold(I), and state that these three compounds were evaluated for activity in adjuvant-induced arthritis in the Charles River Wistar rat. However, there is no disclosure in the Stringer, et al. reference that such compounds actually have antiarthritic or any other therapeutically useful biological activity. Struck et al., J. Med. Chem., 9, 414-417 (1966), disclose cytotoxic activity for 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane which is used as a starting material for preparing some of the compounds of the pharmaceutical compositions and methods of treatment of the subject invention. None of the aforementioned references disclose or suggest the pharmaceutical compositions and/or methods of treatment of the subject invention.